


I Don't Know, Maybe?

by thebigblue



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Humor, POV Wally West, Romance, Sexual Humor, Slice of Life, and artemis isn't exactly helping either, but he's not that good at it, someone give me suggestions, uhm im new here i haven't quite figured out the whole tagging thing, wally trying to work out his feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28787946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebigblue/pseuds/thebigblue
Summary: The evolution of their relationship - chronicling Wally's journey through denial, internal ramblings, awkward sexual tension, and everything in between until he finally figures out how he feels about Artemis and what he's gonna do about it.
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. Nap Time

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place in between episodes of season one - starting off a few weeks or so after Failsafe (S01E16) where Wally did not respond well to Artemis "death". This is me kinda trying to fill in the blanks from there building up to their kiss in the finale (S01E26). There are a few references to the comic book tie-ins, but those are more like easter eggs than actually integral to the plot.

“Ughh,” Zatanna groaned, materialising from the zeta tube along with me and the equally exhausted Robin, Aqualad, and Artemis. We had just come from another mission - and an especially draining one at that.

“I just want to sit down,” I agreed as I rubbed the back of my neck, still sore from me being thrown against a wall.

“And coming from you, that can’t mean anything good,” Dick teased. He wiped some dirt off of Zatanna’s forehead before pulling her arm around his shoulders to support some of her weight. She gave him a small smile of thanks. _Pftt_ , let the kids play. Just wait until he sees how it’s done with me and Miss M.

“Lucky for you, friends,” Kaldur interjected with a sigh, “for I am yet to debrief with Batman. For _this_ particular case, I’m afraid it will take a while.”

Artemis put a supportive hand on his arm. “Good luck,” she said, but with her eyes only half open. She’s definitely been pushed to her limits on this one. Still doesn’t make me want to roll my eyes at them any less though, just for the record.

“Thank you, Artemis,” he said before leaving.

I made my way to the pantry, as I always did after a mission, to grab, and I quote Dick on this one, “the biggest fucking bag of freeze-dried Chicken Whizees I have ever laid eyes on,”. But of course, not before I caught him giving Zee a sly look with a smirk. Geez, those two need to get a room! Come on, they’re just thirteen! Practically babies!

Then I saw it. Those two were pure evil.

Zatanna plopped right into a chair, looking a little too pleased with herself, and Dick slid into the one facing opposite of her, feet up on the coffee table. Do you know what that leaves? That lefts me with the couch. The couch that Arty had already half occupied.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I was not going to sitting beside her. Not after that whole telepathic training session. Nope. I was making sure to keep my distance. No way was I going to give anyone even the slightest reason to think it meant anything. Well, maybe except Black Canary. She already thinks that she’s got me all figured out.

I stood a little hesitant behind the couch, carefully eyeing the only remaining spot in the living room. Artemis and I sharing a loveseat did not sound at all appealing. In the end, my aching muscles won out, and reluctantly I sat down, munching down on my food like a machine.

I knew Dick had been trading out his utility belt for Cupid’s bow for a while now, and my reaction to Artemis’ _‘death’_ hadn’t helped my case either. But since when did he get Zatanna in on it? One kid ratting on me if I even so much as looked at Artemis was bad enough, but now two - _forget it_.

I remember that time the three of us tried to take down Kobra. Yeesh. He wouldn’t even let me defend the good name of Kid Flash without calling it ‘our latest romantic moment’. And seriously, I ask him to cover me, and what I get is a ‘you got it Romeo’. What was that supposed to mean? How else was I supposed to get Artemis to the other side of the room and past Kobra without carrying her and using my super speed? _Never mind._

I was almost to the bottom of my bag when Dick turned on the TV. It was my Aunt Iris doing a report on an ongoing car chase. I’m not sure why this made Zatanna have to hold back a laugh.

Normally, I’d be there in a (kid) flash, but at this point, I’m not even sure if I could make it to my room without tripping. Plus, my suit was torn up in some parts, and singed on others.

With a satisfying burp, I crumpled the now sadly empty bag and threw it over my shoulder. I stretched out my arms and put them behind my head. A quick little nap wouldn’t hurt anybody.

The second after I closed my eyes though, something fell into my lap. I would have jumped right out of my seat if I wasn’t so frozen in horror. This only sent Zatanna in fits of giggles that she no longer bothered to contain. A big, smug smile was plastered across Dick’s face.

I hadn’t noticed Artemis had fallen asleep already. She had been slowly slipping from her upright position, to completely horizontal, lying down on my lap. All I can think is, _I must be a lightbulb, because I am so screwed_.

Zatanna got up and headed for the shower claiming the show was over, but not without a self-satisfied grin.

“On the contrary,” My so-called best friend pointed out, “It’s only begun.”

I gave him a dirty look and he backed off a little.

“You’re blushing Wall-man. Feeling the aster?” Dick slowly got up, raising his hands in mock surrender, “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to cuddle in peace.” He started following in Zatanna’s direction.

Oh hell no, he was not getting off clean for this one. “Hey Robin,” I called.

“Yeah?”

“You are such a Dick.”

“Ha. Funny.”

“I am going to kill you for this, you know?” I jokingly threatened.

“If Artemis doesn’t kill you first,” He smirked before turning in to the hallway.

I opened my mouth to retort, but for once in my life, I had no comeback. He was right. Artemis _would_ kill me. It doesn’t really matter that _she_ was the one that fell asleep on top of _me_ or anything. Nooo, she would blissfully ignore that ‘minor’ detail in her attempts at shooting an arrow right through my chest. If she woke up right then and there, I would be toast.

All that considered, I stupidly decided to wake her up via poking. I figured, rather have her scream wildly at me now, than have her scream wildly at me, _plus_ have the rest of the team see us like this later.

Once again, _bad idea Wally_. Because things just got a whole lot more awkward.

I nudged her shoulder with my finger. Instead of waking up, she shifted in her sleep, rolling over to face away from the television and towards me.

Oh God. This on most instances would be good - very good in fact. I mean, what hormonal teenager wouldn’t pass _this_ up? Especially Wally ‘Ladies Man’’ West. But at the same time, this, is also very _not_ good.

Having Artemis this close to me must have driven me insane, because it started a mental argument in my brain. It went a little like this:

_I should not be enjoying this._

_Come on, Wall-man. There’s a pretty blonde in your lap, why not?_ The other me cooed.

_Because that ‘pretty blonde’ is Artemis. Artemis! Do you, er I, not get that? She would knock me out in one hit if she woke up right now._

_Don’t pretend. I know you can feel her lips brushing against your thigh. It gives you goose bumps. And you like it._

Damn, I’m annoying. _But we’re right in the middle of Mount freaking Justice. 24/7 security cams. Which the Boy Wonder has probably already hacked, and is currently recording, if not already watching._

_Small risk for a big reward. Don’t think. Just feel. Just feel her fingers delicately trailing down your back. Nice, huh?_

I have never before wanted to slap myself so much. Maybe because I’m right. _Or maybe because I’m still sitting here when anyone on of The Team, or worse, The League, could just walk in!_

_Quiet kid, or you’ll miss all the fun. Just admit you don’t hate this - or her - as much as you let on. Her warm breath on your skin, Wally, you don’t want it to stop._

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! _But my suit._ _As much as a total chick magnet it is, a skin tight, superhero spandex, red and yellow suit isn’t effective at hiding … things_.

Please tell me I did not just think that.

_So, you admit you're getting a kick out of this. Why not stay a little longer?_

For a second, I almost did. Why deny myself the pleasure of my own little spitfire any longer?

Then I got a wakeup call. Artemis was tired and fast asleep. She didn’t know what was going on. She wasn’t in control of what she was doing. For all I knew, she thought I was Superboy.

I was half way done slipping out from under her before she reached for my wrist. I figured, that was it. She woke up, and was going to rip my arm off.

Instead, she clung on loosely, and mumbled something under her breath. I like to imagine she said ‘ _stay’_. Damn it, Artemis. I shook my head, knowing I was going to regret what I did next.

I scouted around to make sure nobody else was there. The coast was clear. Gingerly, I slipped one arm under her knees, and another behind her back, picking her up bridal style. Could I have just left her on the couch to continue her nap? Absolutely. So why didn't I? No fucking clue. As I said, I was going insane.

“Artemis, please don’t wake up until I get you to your room,” I pleaded as I snaked one of her arms around my neck. And naturally, she just had to nuzzle into it. This girl is going to be the death of me.

_Dammit Wally! You’re not supposed to be liking this_. I scolded myself. _You’re not supposed to feel this way._

On the seemingly endless walk, I began to realise just how many times we’d been in this position before. Carrying her this way, I mean.

There was that time we had our memories wiped in Bialya, in the Bayou facing the Injustice League, and countless on other missions. Even in that stupid training mission, you know, before she died. Funnily enough, it was actually a manoeuvre Black Canary thought up for us. _Rapidfire_ , she’d call it. I would pick Artemis up and run as she’d shoot down the bad guys. I never really thought about how natural it felt, having her in my arms.

What was I thinking? _I’m so burnt out it’s made me delusional._

I finally made it to her room and gently nudged the door open with my foot. Damn, her room was neat - the total opposite of mine. I set her down on the white comforters and kind of just watched for a bit. I didn’t think I’d make it this far - not without waking her up, not without running into anybody else.

Spoke too soon. Captain Marvel stood by the entrance, a finger up in questioning, his mouth hanging open, about to say something.

But I cut him off before he can ask what the hell am I doing. That would be mortifying.

_Don’t_. I challenged with a death stare, and he moved on without a word, his head tilted to the side like a confused puppy. Captain closed the door on his way out.

I pulled the covers over her and thought about changing her out of her filthy costume and into something more comfortable than mud stained leather pants and a midriff torn to ribbons at the back.

Then I realised how creepy the logistics of getting he changed would have been, and also, how dumb a plan that was. If she hadn’t woken up earlier, she was definitely going to wake up then.

I sat on the edge of her bed and settled for removing her mask and laying it on the bedside table. I undid her ponytail and was just about ready to go.

But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t leave her side.

All I wanted to do was crawl in under the covers with her and never leave. I wanted her head on my chest, listening to my heart beat race from just being with her. I wanted to memorise every inch of her with the tips of my fingers. I wanted to know the taste of her lips.

She was so beautiful.

_Wally stop! Get a grip man._ I hadn’t noticed how long I had been staring, or that I even was for that matter.

“I’m just tired, and it’s making me delirious,” I muttered, trying to reason with myself. “Artemis isn’t beautiful, the bed is. I don’t want to crawl in with her. I just want to lie down.”

I was only half convinced by that speech, but it was enough for me to start walking out before the other half let me do something stupid. I turned around one last time before leaving, and I wished I hadn’t.

Because before I knew what I was doing, I jogged up to her bed, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

_What the hell was going on with me … us?_


	2. Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fast forwarding a bit, this takes place a few days or so after Coldhearted (S01E20) where Wally's surprise birthday party was interrupted by the Team and Justice League facing off ice villains while Wally is left to pull an Amazon Prime free same day delivery.

As much as I loved Mrs. Soriano and her honours physics class, I couldn’t stop staring at the clock, willing it to go faster. I swear, that thing slowed down with every look. Finally, the bell rang and I took off. 

Only half paying attention, I waved and smiled at a couple of school friends that I passed in the hallway, feeling pretty out of it. I had been feeling pretty out of for a while now actually. _Just need to shrug it off,_ I thought.

I tossed a couple of text books into my locker, covering the secret compartment where I stashed a spare Kid Flash suit. I noticed that my locker seemed to be getting especially messy. I figured, so was everything else about me. My room was a mess. My hair was a mess. Hell, at this point, my life was a mess.

On the door, there was a copy of the periodic table of elements, barely visible under all the formulas jotted down on crumpled papers, unfinished to do lists - which, on a side note, I really should work on - and a bunch of pictures. I hadn’t realised there were so many photos tacked on there.

Smack-dab in the middle of it all was a photo strip of me and Dick pushing against each other, fighting to fit into the four little frames. There were more pictures taped carelessly over the transition metals family. Some were with school friends. Most were with Roy and Dick, a couple with Kaldur, and the latest one … one of the whole team.

Aqualad.

Zatanna.

Miss Martian.

Robin.

Superboy.

Artemis.

We were a _team_. A real team.

It’s hard for me to fathom how fast I’ve come to love this little hodgepodge of sidekicks and supernaturals. It almost concerns me how I’d take a bullet for any of them, at any given moment, just like that. Almost.

They've risked their lives to save my ass more times than I could ever dream to count, and I theirs. We were family now, with a bond thicker than blood, thicker than thieves. 

Feeling a little - dare I say it - sentimental, I decided to run ~~t~~ o Happy Harbours. Maybe a couple of sparring rounds with the team could knock me back into my old self.

Halfway to the zeta-tube hidden behind the Keystone City public library, I thought that it would be better for me to run. Ducking into the closest alleyway I saw, I changed into my ‘work clothes’ and bolted.

I’ve always liked running. The hum of the speed force always made me feel alive. In this instance, I liked it because it gave me some time alone to think. When I ran, there was nothing but me, my thoughts, and the bugs that occasionally got caught in my goggles. When the world passes you in a blur, it doesn’t seem to matter all that much anymore.

I still wasn’t over what had happened a couple of days ago. I know I was being selfish, but it was pretty bittersweet.

_Yeah, I saved a little girl’s life, and pretty much single-handedly took down Count Vertigo, and blah blah blah. I should be happy. Proud even! Well I am … but still. I can’t let go of how my surprise party was such a bust, being interrupted by a mission - the first Justice League **/** Team Co-Op on top of all that - and I couldn’t even help out. Not to mention, our little golden boy, Supes, and Megan were together together. That just added the icing to the ca- OW!_

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed that I already reached Mount Justice. Slamming into the heavily fortified wall at that speed knocked me off my feet, and not to mention, gave me a severe headache.

I tried to shake it off, and punched in the code.

Everyone had their backs turned to me as I entered the room. They were all facing the zeta-tubes. I raked my brain, trying to remember if we were expecting anyone.

I came up empty. The whole team was already here, and as far as I could remember, no one else was supposed to be coming that day.

“Uhm guys,” I cleared my throat, “what are you all doing exact-”

M’gann jumped up in shock. I guess they must have been waiting for someone, but it must not have been me, judging from the look on her face.

Everyone else turned around after her, all holding balloons and cake. Quickly gaining their composure, they yelled “Surprise!”

“ - again,” M’gann added in after, laughing.

Or not.

I couldn’t help but smile. _Damn_ , I thought to myself. I mean, it was great of them to plan the first party, but it was totally expected. This? This, I never even saw coming. The fact that they planned me a _second_ whole surprise party only made me love the Team even more. These guys were my best friends. I wouldn’t want anyone else to have my back in the heat of battle. 

Dick wrapped an arm around my shoulders and put a party hat on me. “I know the last one didn’t go exactly as planned,” he started.

“That’s an understatement,” I chuckled.

My best friend continued, “Anyway, we all thought that you deserved it so, I guess, here you go.” Everyone laughed and cheered, giving me their birthday wishes.

“Hey speedster,” Conner called out, “think fast.” He smirked and tossed me a fully loaded water gun. Everyone else pulled theirs out, and it was on.

A bunch of teenagers, just having fun, ran around the room, jumping over couches and ducking under blasts of good ol’ H2O. It’s been way too long since we’ve had a break. I didn’t think I’d ever have so much fun being shot at. I’d take being chased with these Super Soakers over live ammo any day.

Kaldur had the obvious advantage. He bent streams of water around corners and obstacles to find their mark. M’gann had managed to nail him with a good one though.

Dick was swinging from the hanging light fixtures, aiming at me from above, but I was too fast for him. Actually, it seemed like I was too fast for anybody. I was barely even wet!

_Nice one, Wall-Man_. I gave myself a good, mental pat on the back.

Artemis was after me, hot in pursuit. _Wait, not looking hot in pursuit, I mean, she’s hot in her suit - ARGH! No, what I’m trying to say is she is chasing me, you know. Hot. In. Pursuit. As in closing in on me. Not that she isn’t hot or anything, but that’s not what I’m saying. Hold up, did I just - uGH! You know what, never mind. I’m rambling._ Sometimes I really needed to shut up in there. The little me in my head has been getting a lot more chatty recently. I'm not sure I appreciate it. 

But there was no way she could possibly catch me. With my speed, it was like those blasts were coming at me in slow motion. Plus, her aim was totally off today. For someone pretty talented with a bow and arrow, she was a lousy shot with a toy designed for five-year olds.

But of course, she never wanted to hit me in the first place, I realised very suddenly. In that moment of clarity, I slipped on the huge puddle Artemis had created, sliding all the way into a pile of boxes.

“Smart cookie,” I mused, crashing into the cardboard and landing with a thud. “But I’m smart too.”

Artemis poised her water gun straight at me with a look of triumph. “Just because it’s your party, doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass.”

“Babe, if you wanted a piece of this ass, all you had to do was ask,” I replied smoothly with a wink. She pinched the bridge of her nose like the words were giving her a literal headache. I saw my chance. Hooking my foot around her ankle, I pulled her legs right out from under her and pinned the archer down. Her weapon skittered away just out of reach.

“Well, well, Baywatch,” she cooed, whispering close to my ear. It sent tingles down my spine, catching me off guard. “Way to sweep a girl off her feet.”

“What can I say, sweetheart?” I replied, only inches from her face now. Two could play at that game, and if she wanted intense, oh, I could give her intense. “I just seem to have that effect on the ladies.” Arty made a big show of rolling her eyes at me.

“Too bad I’m not much of a lady!” Before I knew what was going on, she had managed to tuck her legs in and with one big push, kicked me off of her. That sent me slamming into the big metal garage door that lead to the beach.

Now it was my turn to be cornered. “You play dirty, Artemis” I said, shaking my head in mock disbelief.

“Hun, if you think that was dirty, just wait until you see me in-”

“Hold that thought,” I interrupted. There was no way I was going to let her get any satisfaction out of this, and I still had one more trick up my sleeve.

With a solid thud, I managed to smack the door open and the two of us went tumbling out into the sand. Artemis screamed, her arms flailing. And did my eyes deceive me, or was that an actual smile on her face?

Artemis landed on top of me, knocking the air right out of my lungs. I threw my head back laughing. “See,” I pointed out, “you _can_ be fun … sometimes …”

She scrambled off me with an annoyed look on her face - the look that always happened to be reserved just for me. “Shut up, you don’t know me, Wally” she said. But there was something different about the way she said it. For maybe the first time, it was light, like a joke, rather than hostile.

I hadn’t noticed until then how almost all of our conversations had been so guarded. I didn’t need my powers to come up with a quick comeback around her, and she didn’t need her arrows for all the snarky remarks. Her tongue was sharp enough.

We weren’t always like that though. We could be civil, have a good time even. But she always catches herself, as if suddenly remembering, _oh yeah, I hate your guts, Wally West_.

The failed training mission only made it worse. Artemis dealt with her trauma the only way she knew how - by putting up her defences, building walls. And after that little incident when I carried her to her room, I’ve made sure to keep distance too.

After the water gun fight settled down, we ate some cake and put in a movie, which somehow lead to an extreme game of capture the flag, complete with sofa forts and all. The place was a mess but we were all enjoying ourselves too much to really care.

Later on, when we all called truce, Dick came in waving a soda bottle in the air.

“Hate to break it to you Rob,” Superboy deadpanned, “but it’s empty.”

“Ha ha ha, very funny” he replied sarcastically, “we’re about to play an American classic, 7 Minutes in Heaven.”

“Or Hell,” Zatanna added with a smirk, “depending on how you want to play the game.”

I was pretty sure no good could come from this, but as I said earlier, I wasn’t really in the mood for caring. We all made a circle and placed the bottle in the middle. The first spin was on me.

“Come on, come on,” I mumbled under my breath, “let me get a good one.”

It spun and spun, and the wait was agony. The glass bottle started slowing down, and I think that only made the suspense worse. It was just about to land on M’gann, but the universe just loves to mess with me, doesn’t it?

It didn’t stop for another split second.

If it stopped then and there, I wouldn’t have minded being with Miss Martian. If it had gone on even a fraction of a second more, I could have lived with being stuck with Boy Blunder. But no. It had to stop right at that very moment.

The bottle pointed straight at Artemis.

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, suddenly unable to look up from the ground. “You don’t actually have to _do_ anything in there you know,” I offered. But Artemis was already getting up, a determined look steeled on her face.

Zatanna had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. I personally didn’t see how my potential murder was in any way funny. The two of us in a closet would practically be the same thing as a cage match.

“I know how the game works,” she spat coldly. “I don’t live in a cave, you know.” Dick looked a little offended, but Artemis didn’t notice.

Hesitantly, I got up as well. “Come on, let’s get this over with,” I said, holding out my elbow for her, because I’m a gentleman like that. Contrary to popular belief, chivalry is not in fact dead. Not that she took it. _Nooo_ , because she’s too tough, too strong to let anyone be nice to her. It drives me nuts.

Dick held the closet open with a smug look on his face. Artemis backed into the farthest corner and I closed the door behind me. Kaldur started the timer. Seven minutes.

The closet was cramped, way too small for the two of us _and_ all the tension we carried around as well. So when she jumped away from her own personal end of the room because of a spider, it wasn’t much of a surprise that Artemis bumped right into me.

“Watch it,” she grumbled.

“What do you mean, watch it?” I complained, crossing my arms. “You’re the one tha-”

“You know what,” she cut me off, “I never should have suggested to do a take two for your party to Robin. Then, I wouldn’t have to be stuck in here with _you_!”

“You what?” I asked in full shock. I never even considered it might have been Artemis’ idea. “I … I didn’t think you’d do that … for me. Maybe Rob or M’gann, but you? You didn’t strike me as the surprise type.”

But wasn’t she? Full of surprises, I mean.

“Well guess what, you don’t know me, Wally,” she said for the second time today. Except this one was different for a whole new reason. She meant it. Her words were bitter and cold.

For the most part, they hurt. They hurt because they were true.

I _didn’t_ know her. Not really. Not with things that mattered.

God, I’d spent so long resenting her for replacing Speedy, I never even gave her a chance. I’ve been lying to myself this whole time, telling myself that I hate her just as much as she hates me.

But I don’t.

I think some things have made that very clear.

Our memory wipe in Bialya, for instance.

Her “death” for another.

But really, they’ve only made more questions than they did answers - and it terrified me. So I swept them under the rug and pretended these thoughts weren’t floating around my head every waking hour, nagging at me, gnawing at my insides.

I’ve ignored them before, and I can ignore them again. Because I’m not ready to face what they have to tell me.

Not yet.


	3. Snow Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No specific episode context needed for this chapter :) It follows a few weeks or so from the last one.

I was sitting on a park swing, rocking back and forth on the tips of my toes. I can’t remember why, but I was smiling, laughing even. Then I realised someone else was laughing beside me. I turned to face who it was.

_Artemis?!_

It startled me so much that I fall backwards and out of my seat. My arms flailed wildly trying to grab the swing's chains. Just as I hit the ground, I’m jolted awake, sitting upright in bed. I rubbed the last bit of sleep out of my eyes.

“Just a dream, Wall-man,” I tell myself out loud.

_Yeah,_ the annoying voice in my head chimed in, _a dream of Artemis._

“Shut up. I know like a kajillion blondes,” I rebutted matter-of-factly. “It could have been any of them.”

_Suuure._

“Oh wow, I am so not having this argument with myself right now,” I said shaking my head. I picked up my phone, turning on the screen to check the time.

_7:58_ it read. I had exactly two minutes before class started. I nearly fell off my bed trying to get out from under the covers. Using my speedster powers, I started making my way towards the door with a toothbrush still in my mouth and my sweatshirt only half on. As soon as I opened it though, I was greeted by snow piled up to my knees. Praying it was what I thought it was, I ran for the television and turned it to the news.

“Snow day! Oh yeah, no school baby,” I yelled. Grabbing a jacket and a handful of energy bars, I made it to the closest zeta-tube. I’m not sure what I expected when I materialised into The Cave, but the place being completely deserted was definitely not it.

“Hmm, I guess the snow storm was just in Central City,” I said out loud, even though no one was there to hear me - not even whoever our den mother of the week was, who by the way, hadn’t bothered to show up. Totally irresponsible.

“Who cares,” I shrugged. “More pizza for me." I bummed on the couch and watched a bunch of movies on two-times speed. The pile of empty pizza boxes by my feet seemed to grow at a rate of one and a half per movie. That went on for a while before I started losing mind with the lack of company.

Sitting upside down, with my feet in the air, I began to count on my fingers. “Kaldur’s probably in Atlantis for the day, so he’s out. Zatanna and Artemis are in school somewhere, so they won’t be back for a while. Supey’s probably gonna stay with M’gann in cheerleading practice, and that takes forever to finish,”

_I am going to die of boredom before anyone gets back,_ I thought bitterly. _School being cancelled bites when you’re the only one._ Then I got it.

“Good o’l Robbie,” I noted, looking for my shoes. “I could give him a visit.”

On my way to the zeta tube, I took a glance at the clock. Perfect. It was just about time for his lunch break.

Walking out of the zeta-tube disguised as a phone booth, I whistled my way to Gotham Academy. I’ve spent my fair share of time there, but admittedly, after dark, sneaking in with Dick.

By the time I reached the quad, I saw my best bud right away. Ooh, and with a girl. This would be fun. Zipping towards him, I grabbed some poor guy’s chili dog. Brushing off the snow that had piled up on the bench seat, I sat down.

“Sooo, Dick,” I greeted, ruffling his hair. “Are you going to introduce me to your lady friend or what?”

Rolling his eyes, Dick clapped me a high five. “What are you even doing here, Wally?”

“Playing hooky,” I responded coolly.

“I’m Barbara by the way,” Dick’s friend interjected with an outstretched hand. But my mind was on something - someone - else, because somewhere behind me, I heard a whisper.

“Who’s the new guy with Gordon? He’s kind of cute.”

So, being the great guy that I am, I turned around, planning to make this girl’s day. “Hell - oh hey Artemis,” and boom. It blows up in my face. What was she doing here? Since when did she go to G.A.? Shouldn’t she be in Star City with her uncle, Green Arrow? That's all the way on the opposite side of the country. I swear, Arty was popping up in all sorts of places she wasn’t supposed to be today.

“Wally, what are you doing here?” Artemis questioned me with a fierce scowl. Her blonde friend sat with a confused look on her face, trying to connect the dots.

“Just visiting D- ow,” Dick had kicked me under the table. Oh yeah. I’m like the only person that knows his secret identity. Duh.

“Wait, you guys know each other?” Artemis’ lunch date asked.

“It’s a long story, Bette,” Artemis replied, her voice strained.

“Oh, I’ve got it,” she exclaimed, with a sudden look of clarity. “Oh my God! You two are together! That is so sweet.”

“We are defini-” Artemis tried.

“You came to visit your girlfriend for lunch,” Bette ploughed right through, pointing a finger back and forth at me and Artemis. _Ha. Her boyfriend? Yeah right_. “Why can’t I be as lucky as you? Jimmy never visits me,” Bette continued with a pout. Arty looked like she could just about kill Bette on the spot. At this point, Dick was laughing his face off. My turn to kick him under the table.

“I bet you totally missed her,” Bette carried on. “You guys just want to get all over each other, I can tell.” She wiggled her eyebrows. The look on her face, believing she was so right, even though she couldn’t be anything farther from it, sent me into a fit of laughter.

_This girl is a riot,_ I thought, clutching at my side. _Where in Gotham did Artemis find her?_

“Oh yeah, I am going to be all over Wally,” Artemis said in a smooth, almost sultry tone. “Trying to strangle him!” she added angrily after.

Now there’s the smartass archer I grew to ~~love~~ somewhat tolerate. I decided to play along. “You stole the words right out of my mouth, babe,” I said with a smirk. “But what about a kiss instead?” I was pretty sure I heard Bette call us adorable. Artemis was fuming and got up.

“A word, Baywatch,” she called, dragging me with her by the sleeve of my windbreaker.

“I go where you go, m’lady,” I said with a wink.

Bette pulled out her purse after this, clearly looking for something. “I know I have the newsroom key in here somewhere,” she muttered with her brows furrowed in concentration. “No one will be there now, and it’ll give you all the privacy you need for - got it,” she said fishing it out triumphantly.

My jaw hit the ground, and Artemis went red in the face. What exactly did this chick think we were going to do?

“Oh, do you guys need - ” Bette stage whispered, but Artemis cut her off with a wave of her hand.

“Really, Bette, we’re fine,” Artemis said through gritted teeth. She began pulling me towards a stairwell.

A little red in the face too, I called over my shoulder, “Nice meeting you, Bette.”

I did not think my little game was going to go that far. And even if it wasn’t just a game, and we were really dating - oh what’s the point of even going there. I’d never be Artemis’ boyfriend. She thinks ‘ _she’s_ _too tough for a relationship’_ , _‘she doesn’t need a man’_ and all the baloney. Well, I can see past that ice-cold facade, and I can see how alone she is. I can see how completely and utterly alone and scared she is in there, and dammit why won’t she just let me in!

Pfft, but it’s not like I’d want to be her boyfriend or anything like that, so it doesn’t matter. Case closed. End of story.

When we got to the top of the stairs, Artemis continued to drag me into the hallway before pinning me up against some lockers.

“No one can see us Arty. You don’t need to pretend you want to make out with me anymore,” I continued to tease. “Unless, you really do want to, because I’m down for that too.”

She shoved me harder against the lockers. “Wally West, you are unbelievably impossible.”

‘’You’re making me blush.”

Artemis stared daggers at me for a solid 5 seconds, then let me go. Across me, she settled onto the floor with her legs folded in and her chin rested on her knees. I followed soon after, Indian sitting across from her.

“How did you find me here … in Gotham?” she asked quietly, drawing shapes on the dusty floor. Honestly, I didn’t think that’s what she had pulled me away to talk about. Or for her to look so shaken up by it.

Either way, I wasn’t prepared to answer that question. Not without giving up Robin’s secret identity. That just wasn’t mine to tell. “I uh … came here to, you know, uhh,” I stalled, desperately clawing my brain for even the dumbest excuse.

“You know what, forget it,” Artemis said, anger practically dripping off of each syllable. “Just leave me, and my personal life, alone.” She got up and stormed off back down the stairs. Even though she specifically told me not to, I went after her anyway. And it was a good thing I did.

“Go away, Wally,” she hissed, picking up her pace.

Luckily, I’m faster, because right then, she missed a step. It would have been a long, four-flight tumble if I hadn’t sped up. Overtaking her before she even realised that she was falling, I caught her by the waist.

_Nice job,_ I mentally noted.

“Oh, uh, thanks, Wally,” Artemis mumbled shyly. She couldn’t seem to look me in the eyes, and I’m not sure I could've handled it anyway.

“Don’t sweat it. It’s what heroes do. It’s what _we_ do,” I whispered. We were so close, so intimately, embarrassingly close, it was making both of us blush. She could count each annoying freckle on my cheeks if she wanted. Even so, she made no move of backing away.

_I’m probably going to hate myself for this later_ , I thought, _but I wouldn’t mind trading being at each other’s throats for this._

I tucked some stray wisps of hair behind her ear with a slightly shaking hand. _She’s gorgeous,_ I mused. _How did I ever think I could hate this girl?_

For a long, tenderly quiet moment, we seemed to be suspended in time. And frankly, I was okay with that. I had realised for the first time that I missed her. I had actually _missed her_ \- the feeling of her, the smell of her, the sight of her. Somehow, something in my head just clicked.

I let out a deep breath, silently thankful I never got the chance to bite into that chili dog. 20 second of courage, right? That was all I needed? I remember hearing that from one of the movies I had watched earlier. Somethings about a zoo. Not important.

I was going to kiss her. Or at least do something, because I can’t take the constant fighting anymore. No, not after seeing what it’s like not to, what it was like to hold her so close and still want her even closer.

19 … 18 … 17 …

I was going to make the space between us disappear.

16 … 15 .. 14 …

I know she doesn’t see me the way I’ve grown to see her.

13 … 12 … 11 …

But it’s okay. I would convince her.

10 … 9 … 8 …

I could show her how good we would be together.

7 … 6 …

Only, I never got my full 20 seconds, nor my kiss. We were interrupted by a message over the P.A. system. It was a blaring wake-up call from our little bubble.

Both of us suddenly aware of everything around us, I let her go. We backed away cautiously, not daring to acknowledge what just happened, or even more so, what was about to happen.

“Attention students,” roared the static filled speakers. “It seems the weather has taken a turn for the worse. The snow storm over Central City has now expanded its reach up to Gotham. We assume the power will be out shortly, and our generator is undergoing some maintenance after Bat related incidents. It is requested that everybody stay inside the Gymnasium until further notice. Your parents are being contacted as of the moment, but most roads have begun to ice over. That is all.”

_Great. Just great._

I cleared my throat, pathetically trying to get some control over the situation. “We should get going,” I suggested, starting down the stairs. “Before they think you’ve gone AWOL.”

“Since when does the almighty Kid Flash follow rules,” Artemis taunted. She stood there, two steps behind me with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“So I’m almighty now?” I taunted back, which Artemis appropriately responded to by sticking out her tongue.

“Not the point,” she rebutted simply.

“Eh, I know you’ve got that big scholarship,” I joked, thinking she looked like the type. Smart, I mean. “One slip-up, and they could take it away.”

“Who told you?” She demanded, placing a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to face her. Yikes, touchy subject. Maybe not the smart type scholarship. And I’m back to saying all the wrong things. _Nice one, Casanova._

“Not the point,” I mocked in a terrible impression of Artemis to try and diffuse the situation. We walked the rest of the way in silence.

I hated silence almost as much as I hated not moving; because it’s in the empty stillness of your mind that you realise the monsters aren’t under the bed. They’re in your head. I remembered that night with Professor Ivo and Amazo. It sent chills up my back. I could have died that night if it wasn’t for Artemis’ arrow - the one I thought belonged to Speedy. I never even knew she existed back then. Funny that now, we were back here were it all started. Even funnier that it was here she saved my life, and here I finally figured out that she should be a part of it. It was almost like it was meant to be.

But fate is a fool **’** s game, and so is luck, I reminded myself. I am a man of science, of logic.

We took a seat on the bleachers, and for a while, just sat there. I saw Dick on the way in and gave him a nod.

The snow outside began to pile up, and when the power died, it only made it worse. Artemis was compact and drawn close. I figured her miniskirt of a uniform wasn’t exactly snowstorm attire - but my jacket could help at least. Hesitantly, I began to slip if off. With the incredulous look Artemis was giving me, I may as well have been stripping naked.

“Shut up, and take it,” I said, placing it over her shoulders. She pouted a bit, though accepted the offer.

The jacket served its purpose, if not for a short-lived victory. Soon enough, Artemis was holding back shivers again. It was hard to watch without wanting to scoop her up and wrap her in my arms - er, blankets, I mean - to wrap her in blankets. And considering Arty was Arty that was the same thing as a death wish.

Think. Think. Think.

_Hello, Wally,_ I thought, with a mental palm to my forehead and everything, just like M’gann. _You’re Kid Flash! You have superpowers, remember?_

And on that note, I pressed my hands together. I rubbed them against one another, small bolts of electricity zipping around my fingertips. Hopefully, nobody saw.

You would not believe the friction I could whip up. Most of the time it was a huge pain in the ass, accidentally shocking myself or even becoming mildly magnetically charged. But it was times like these when it was more of a convenience than a drawback.

Creating a good amount of heat, I reached for Artemis, trying to get a hold of her arms. I guess I should have explained first, because she scooted away with a raised eyebrow.

“We are not hugging to share body heat,” she informed me pointedly.

I almost cracked up. “Hands rub fast. Friction make you warm,” I explained slowly, as if talking to a kindergartener. She sat there firm on her words until the cold soon won out.

“Fine.” Artemis slid beside me wearily. “But no hugging, cuddling, snuggling or any of that gross stuff,” she grumbled.

I reached around her, putting a hand on each of her biceps and let science do its job. Every now and then, I’d give it a rub to make sure she stayed warm. I held her like that for as long as I could. Even as a teacher called her name, signalling that her parents were there to take her home, I didn’t want her to leave. I never wanted her to leave.

But as an Asian woman began wheeling herself in the room, Artemis stood abruptly and left without a word. She turned who must have been her mother around and pushed her towards the door before I could wave bye.

I wanted to go after her. Damnit, there were so many things I wanted to do now. But I didn’t. I just sat there and let her slip away … for the time being.

_This is not at all how I thought my day would go,_ I thought.

Someone please help me.

Because I think I might love with this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't get the 20 seconds of courage reference, it's from the movie We Bought a Zoo - it's a lovely film!


End file.
